Digital Commons Network^™

Sensi-Train: Context-Aware Sensitive Content Detection Using Transformers And Large Language Models, Nazeefa Muzammil

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The detection of sensitive content has become a critical task in natural language processing due to the widespread use of online platforms and the social harm caused by it. Even though current methods have advanced significantly, many of them mainly rely on surface-level text and neglect to take into consideration contextual and cultural elements that are crucial for correctly assessing sensitivity of any content to a particular individual. Due to this, implicit offense, sarcasm, and culturally grounded expressions frequently cause problems for such systems. To enable culturally grounded sensitive content detection, this thesis presents Sensi-Train, a context-rich dataset and modeling …

Inside The System, Outside The Circle: A Parent-Educator’S Journey Of Navigating Through Systemic Oppression While Advocating For Her Son With A Learning Disability, Sanora L. White

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This autoethnographic study examines how I, as a Black parent-educator, navigated racialized and ableist educational systems while advocating for my child with a learning disability. Grounded in Disability Studies in Education, DisCrit, Critical Pedagogy, Universal Design for Learning, and Black Feminist Thought, the study explores how systemic inequities shape parent–teacher collaboration and how advocacy functions as relational care and resistance. The guiding research question asked how I experienced and navigated collaboration within racialized and ableist special education systems. Data sources included reflective journals, IEP documents, personal narratives, and dialogic conversations with critical friends. Using composite narratives and thematic analysis, the …

Lymphatic Malformations With Activating Kras Mutations Impair Lymphatic Valve Development Through Matrix Metalloproteinases, Diandra M. Mastrogiacomo

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Lymphatic malformations (LMs) are lesions that can be due to inherited or somatic mutations, and they lead to a defective lymphatic vasculature. Activating KRAS mutations have been identified recently in LM patients with lymphedema, chylous ascites, or life-threatening chylothorax. In a LM mouse model, KRAS mutations are associated with a loss of lymphatic valves, which has been proposed to cause chylothorax via retrograde lymph flow into the pleural space. However, the mechanisms underlying the loss of lymphatic valves are unknown. To investigate the mechanisms leading to valve loss, we combined the lymphatic-specific and tamoxifen-inducible Flt4CreERT2 with Kras-loxP-stop-loxP-G12D (Kras+/G12D) mice and …

The Role Of Fkbp51 In The Regulation Of Reproductive Aging And Prenatal Stress-Impaired Ovarian Function And Development, Monica C. Moore

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

FK506-binding protein 51 (FKBP51) is an immunophilin that acts as a co-chaperone with heat shock protein 90 that negatively regulates transcriptional activity of glucocorticoid receptor (GR) and progesterone receptor (PR), and FKBP51 levels are increased by stress conditions. Our previous studies demonstrate that Fkbp5 gene depletion was protective against maternal re-strained stress-induced preterm birth (PTB), fetal growth restriction (FGR), and maternal stress-induced age-related decline in live births. We hypothesize that FKBP51 contributes to impaired ovarian development and folliculogenesis induced by prenatal stress (PNS). Timed-pregnant Fkbp5+/+ (wild-type) and Fkbp5−/− (knockout) mice were randomly assigned to either the undis-turbed (nonstress) or PNS …

From The Tropics To The Poles: Chemical Investigation Of Marine Invertebrates Through Elucidation And Synthesis, Benjamin Reed Smith

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Society’s perpetual need for new disease treatments continuously leans on the shouldersof willing researchers. Even in modern day, many described diseases lack a cure or a symptomatic treatment; worse yet, the necessity for new drugs is amplified with rises in drug- resistant microbial infections, such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Historically, remedies and disease treatments have been rooted in the medicinal properties of plants and animals; naturally derived analgesics, like milk of the poppy or willow bark tea, date back thousands of years. With the developments of modern medicine, drug discovery, and natural product researchers found a wealth of potential …

The Role Of Campus Symbols In College Student Belonging: A Photo-Elicitation And Photovoice Qualitative Study, Abigail W. Bradley-Tyler

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative study examines the impact of campus symbols on the sense of belonging among second-year students at a public, four-year institution in Florida. This topic is relevant as there is a lack of research about positive or neutral campus symbols. Using sense of belonging and symbolic interactionism as theoretical frameworks, this study investigates how students interpret and emotionally connect with university symbols, including campus mascots, monuments, personnel, and campus traditions and rituals. Using photo-elicitation and photovoice interviews, participants engaged with photographs of official university symbols and captured images representing their campus experience. Using Braun and Clarke’s thematic analysis, the …

Emotion Differentiation As A Moderator Of The Relationship Between Affect And Alcohol Use Among College Students: An Ecological Momentary Assessment, Gaelle El Helou

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Alcohol use remains prevalent among young adults and particularly college students. Research shows a link between affective states and alcohol consumption, although recent findings appear to be unequivocal on the effect of negative and positive emotions on college drinking. While emotion differentiation (ED) has been associated with alcohol use, previous research has focused mostly on clinical treatment adult populations and / or negative emotions, focusing less on the role that positive emotions play in drinking, particularly among college students. The current study explored the moderating role of negative and positive emotion differentiation (NED / PED) in the association between negative …

“It’S Like Being Interrogated For A Crime:” The Job Interview Experiences Of Late Diagnosed Autistic Women, Brianna M. Sandner

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Autistic adults face disproportionately high unemployment rates, with traditional job interviewsserving as a significant barrier due to their emphasis on social norms and the importance of first impressions. Research on barriers late-diagnosed autistic women—a population historically marginalized in both autism and employment research—encounter during job interviews is nascent. This study examines four key areas through the voices of participants: challenges encountered during interviews, coping mechanisms, masking behaviors, and the impact of receiving a late diagnosis on their understanding of past job-seeking experiences. Women described experiencing difficulties with an inaccessible interview structure, navigating social and professional norms, and answering questions on …

Eye Of The Beholder: Exploring Correlates Of Subjective Cognition In Older Adults With And Without Insomnia, Amy N. Costa

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

It is unclear how subjective cognition is related to current objective cognitive functioning in older adults, but subjective cognitive complaints are a risk factor for future cognitive decline. A lack of awareness of even subtle changes in objective cognitive performance could lead to missed opportunities for early intervention. Given past work and known associations between sleep, cardiac autonomic functioning, and cognition (both subjective and objective), it is plausible to hypothesize these factors may influence subjective cognition. Understanding how and when the subjective and objective cognition relationship diverges may inform clinicians on how to best assess cognitive functioning and factors (i.e., …

An Autoethnographic And Relational Exploration Of Identity Negotiation Within Romantic Relationships Between Nonbinary Partners And Cisgender Women, Maddison L. Russell

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation explores how trans and cisgender partners negotiate gender identity, care, and relational well-being through an autoethnographic examination of everyday communication. The study draws from eighteen personal narratives across family, academic, and romantic contexts to trace how gender-based microaggressions and cisnormative expectations become embedded in ordinary talk, gestures, and silences, shaping identity development and relational stability. At its core, this work argues that relationality emerges as a pervasive and constitutive condition that shapes how affirmation, misrecognition, and belonging are experienced within trans/cis relationships and across time. Through examining moments of misunderstanding, minimization, and avoidance, the study reveals how microaggressions …

Understanding The Effect Of Affective Context On Conflict Monitoring Through Erp And Behavioral Indices Of Cognitive Control, Amanda Holbrook

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Understanding cognitive control in response to conflict requires examining how control-related processes are modulated by affect. This study tested the negative-affective signaling hypothesis, which posits that negative affect elicited by conflict enhances cognitive control. Undergraduate participants (n=73) completed an affective-flanker task in which affective images preceded flanker stimuli. Cognitive control was indexed by the error-related negativity (ERN), conflict N2, response times (RTs), and accuracy, and late positive potential (LPP) to images indexed motivated attention. Across hypotheses, adding event-related potential (ERP) coupling terms did not improve the predictive accuracy of multilevel models, providing no evidence for the predicted trial-to-trial affect-control coupling. …

Microplastic Contamination In Longfin Squid (Doryteuthis Pealeii) From The Florida Gulf Coast: Evidence Of Marine Based Pollution, Jordan Kleinschmidt Dilena

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Microplastic contamination is a pervasive global issue, yet its impact on ecologically significant cephalopod populations remains poorly understood. This study quantified microplastic prevalence and distribution in longfin squid (Doryteuthis pealeii), a key trophic link in the Gulf of Mexico. Following hydrogen peroxide digestion of digestive tract and mantle tissues, microplastics were isolated via vacuum filtration and characterized using microscopy. Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy confirmed polymer identities. Microplastic contamination was exceptionally high, with 96.4% of individuals containing particles (mean = 36.6 ± 20.0 particles per individual, range = 0–94, n = 110 squid). From 4,072 total particles analyzed, fragments dominated (98.3%), …

Exploring Enacted Active Learning Practices In Postsecondary Chemistry Lecture And Laboratory Courses, Kendall M. Zammit

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The work in this thesis begins to explore the enacted active learning practices in postsecondary chemistry lecture and laboratory courses. Chapter 1 explores the level of inquiry in postsecondary laboratories. Chapter 2 explores instructional and assessment practices at two-year institutions.

Chemistry postsecondary laboratories offer a unique opportunity to engage students in inquiry-based instruction. Inquiry-based instruction was categorized by the asking faculty members at four-institutions about six characteristics of laboratory design: choosing a problem, background research, designing procedures, analyzing data, communicating results, and interpreting results. As students have the freedom to make decisions on more characteristics of inquiry learning, the closer …

Adaptive Multi-Agent Intelligence: A Dynamic Data Management System For Enhanced Data Quality And Reconciliation, Anthony Taeyang Vigil

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Organizations struggle with data quality problems that cost them millions of dollars annually. Manual data cleanup and standardizing, also known as reconciliation, can take skilled analysts days to complete and can still contain human errors. This dissertation addresses this challenge by developing and validating the Origin Data Management System, which automates processes that traditionally require days of manual work. The system achieved up to 100% accuracy in standardizing vendor names and identifying CEO information across real-world test datasets from Jefferson County Public Schools, Forbes, and Fortune Magazines. Processing time dropped from days to minutes—a 96-fold improvement over manual methods. These …

Considering Context In Latent Models Of Externalizing: Measurement Invariance By Environmental And Systemic Disadvantage In System-Involved Youth, Kendall D. Smith

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Externalizing forms of psychopathology are said to result from a general liability towards impulsive and disruptive behaviors, including substance use, conduct problems, aggression, and antisocial behavior (Krueger et al., 2021). While the field often focuses on dispositional explanations of externalizing behaviors, there is a notable lack of attention to the contextual factors that contribute to these behaviors, beyond immediate environmental influences. This study uses Ecological Systems Theory (Bronfenbrenner, 2005) as a framework to address such gaps in the context of behavioral indicators of the latent externalizing (EXT) construct, an analysis with implications for understanding racial/ethnic and socioeconomic disparities. The present …

Self-Determination And Its Role In The Foster Care Environment: A Three-Part Investigation, John Martin

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Youth have multiple pathways to adulthood and for some of those youth that journey takes them through the foster care system either temporarily or until emancipation. A vital part of the foster care system is to protect and care for children in a variety of circumstances including unsafe and traumatic experiences. However, a history of foster care has been tied to certain risks like substance use. The focus of this dissertation is to investigate the strength of the relationship between self-determination and substance use through the lens of Self-Determination Theory (SDT) in foster care in three phases. In Study I …

A Bioarchaeological Study Of The Individuals From The Városfalva Burial Mound In Transylvania, Romania (15th-19th Century), Vanessa C. Reeves

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study explores the lives and deaths of the Szekler people recovered from a burial mound in the Transylvanian village of Városfalva. The Transylvanian plateau is located in present day Romania, and is protected on the east and the south by the Carpathian Mountains. The Szekler people arrived in this area around 1000 CE, and were a nomadic group originating in the Asian Steppes region who later intermarried with various migratory groups as they moved across the Eurasian plains. The Szeklers eventually banded together with the proto-Hungarian Magyar peoples and settled in the Carpathian Basin, the easternmost frontier of the …

“For Haitian Culture, Being Older [Is] A Blessing”: Perceptions Of Aging, Elderhood, And Dementia In A Haitian Born Sample, Melissa K. Eustache

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis investigates how first-generation Haitian immigrants in the United States understand and interpret dementia within the intersecting contexts of culture, migration, and biomedicine. While dementia is constructed as a pathological “loss of self” and a public health epidemic, in American biomedical and popular discourse, this study examines how Haitian-born individuals—socialized within a non-Western cultural and spiritual framework—make sense of cognitive decline and impairment in ways that diverge from Western biomedical narratives. Guided by theoretical orientations from medical anthropology, including Mark Nichter’s idioms of distress, Margaret Lock’s local biologies, and neuroanthropology, this research explores how cultural models of illness, aging, …

Reducing Data Requirements In Polymer Science: Deep Neural Networks For Predicting Surface Tension Of Copolymer Compatibilizers, Md Mushfiqul Islam

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In polymer chemistry, compatibilization involves adding a substance often a block or graft copolymerto stabilize polymer blends that would otherwise not mix well, leading to rough structures and weak me- chanical properties. Compatibilizers improve miscibility and reduce interfacial tension, which is critical for applications such as mixed-waste polymer recycling. Sequence-controlled polymers offer unique potential by combining the tunable chemistry of synthetic polymers with the precise, function-driven design of biological macromolecules, but unlike proteins, they lack large, evolution-shaped datasets to guide discovery. This research develops a deep learning framework to predict the surface tension of sequence-controlled copolymer compatibilizers across varying concentrations. …

Evaluation Of Functional Communication Training With Sign Mands For Non-Vocal Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Hayley Margaret Mcmanus

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) often experience difficulties in both vocal and non-vocal communication, which can lead to problem behavior as a means of expressing needs and wants. Functional communication training (FCT) has been shown to be effective in teaching functional communicative responses (FCRs) and decreasing problem behavior. However, studies on the use of sign language as a communicative response or modality in FCT have been limited, despite its benefits, including feasibility and low response effort, compared to other modalities, such as picture cards and augmentative and alternative communication devices. This study evaluated FCT using sign language mands for …

Role Conflict And Burnout: How Can Employed Graduate Students Thrive, Not Just Survive?, Eric M. Douthirt

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation investigates several of the multifaceted challenges faced by employed graduate students, a growing demographic within U.S. higher education. Against a backdrop of intensifying technological change, evolving labor market dynamics, and increased educational attainment, these individuals encounter pronounced school-work-family conflict (SWFC), resulting in a heightened risk for personal burnout (PB).

Building upon the job demands-resources theory, this research explores whether school-work facilitation (SWF) and student emotional engagement (EE) might attenuate the deleterious relationship between school-work-family conflict (SWFC) and personal burnout (PB), with gender and number of children included as controls.

Data from 489 participants, collected via a single cross-sectional …

Saudi Early Childhood Teacher Educators’ And Preservice Teachers’ Perspectives Of Early Field Experiences, Amani M. Alodwani

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative descriptive study explores how teacher educators perceive the integration of field experiences within the curriculum and their perspectives on the preservice early childhood education (ECE) teachers they supervise. It also examines preservice teachers’ views regarding their field experiences and how these experiences contribute to their professional preparation. The Ministry of Education (MOE) emphasizes that teacher preparation programs should provide extended field experiences that connect theoretical coursework with practical application. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with three Saudi teacher educators and four preservice teachers from Kingdom University. Thematic analysis using inductive coding was employed to identify recurring themes and differences …

Sound Practices In Human Resources: A Critical Analysis Of How Ai Applicant Screening Tools Are Used With Deaf Individuals In The Hospitality And Tourism Sector, Sherry L. Gaynor

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study explores the intersection of Career and Workforce Education, Deaf Education, and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies used in hiring practices. The purpose of this research is to identify potential barriers to equitable employment for Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing (DHH) individuals and to propose effective methods for evaluating and assessing AI and machine learning applications utilized in recruitment and selection processes. Although AI is increasingly embedded in human resource management (HRM), there remains a significant lack of research addressing its use with special populations. In particular, no prior studies have examined how voice recognition software, facial analysis, psychometric testing, and virtual …

Statistical Challenges And Simulation Results For Pilot Clinical Trials, Weiliang Cen

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Background: The effect size estimated from a pilot trial is often an inaccurate reflection of the true effect size observed in a large trial, leading to either underestimation or overestimation. Published data suggest that effect sizes from large trials are typically smaller than those reported in their corresponding pilot trials. To address this discrepancy, conservative or discount adjustment methods are widely recommended to modify pilot trial effect sizes when calculating sample sizes, thereby maintaining adequate statistical power. This study aims to assess effect sizes from both pilot and large trials and to evaluate the performance of existing adjustment methods.

Methods: …

The Characterization Of Sleep Quality In Pediatric Cancer Survivors With Overweight/Obesity, Erin M. Brennan

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Advances in cancer treatment have improved survival rates among pediatric cancer survivors (PCS), shifting the focus toward long-term quality of life. Despite this progress, PCS remain at elevated risks of chronic health issues, including disrupted sleep and obesity. The purpose of this study was to characterize the sleep of PCS with overweight/obesity and to identify predictors of sleep quality. Guided by Merz and Tomfohr-Madsen’s (2018) conceptual framework for sleep disruption in children impacted by cancer, this secondary analysis of data examined disease parameters, family and environmental factors, and physical activity as potential predictors of sleep quality. Participants were enrolled between …

Development And Initial Validation Of An Instrument To Measure Teachers’ Socioscientific Issues Instruction Perceptions, Michael Edward Mitchell

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Little is known about how high school science teachers perceive Socioscientific Issues (SSI) on a broad scale, including what factors shape their views of a pedagogical shift to adopt SSI. To address this critical gap, I constructed the Teachers’ Socioscientific Issues (SSI) Perceptions Survey (TSPS), the first instrument specifically designed and initially validated to measure teacher perceptions of SSI integration. This study presents the development and validation of the TSPS, offering robust evidence for its reliability, fairness, and construct validity.

Survey development adhered to gold-standard psychometric protocols (Bandalos, 2018; Crocker & Algina, 1986; DeVellis, 2012; McCoach et al., 2013) and …

Spatio-Temporal Characterization Of Trace Metals Across The West Florida Shelf And During The Decline Of The North Atlantic Spring Bloom, Delfina Paola Navarro-Estrada

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Phytoplankton in the marine environment require the trace metals manganese (Mn), iron (Fe), cobalt (Co), nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), and cadmium (Cd) to catalyze cellular processes driving photosynthesis, including macronutrient (nitrogen, phosphorus, and carbon) acquisition, light harvesting, and protection from oxidative stress. The high biological demand for these elements, coupled with their low concentrations in the ocean, can limit primary production and shape community composition in marine ecosystems, highlighting the need to understand the drivers behind trace metal distributions and their interplay with phytoplankton growth across biogeochemical regimes. This dissertation characterizes the spatial and temporal distributions of dissolved …

Exploring Employee Profiles’ Adaptation To A Return-To-Office Policy: An Eadr Study In Higher Education Administrative Departments, Laura Cecilia Ferraz

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Flexible work arrangements (FWAs) became a central feature of the post-pandemic workplace, offering autonomy and balance. In higher education administrative departments, hybrid models were widely adopted; however, managers struggled with accountability, equity, and effective communication. At the University of South Florida (USF), a mid-study return-to-office mandate required all employees to resume full-time on-site work, creating an opportunity to examine how employees adapted to the loss of flexibility and whether previously developed employee profiles remained relevant.

This qualitative study employed the Elaborated Action Design Research (eADR) methodology to investigate the experiences of employees and managers across three diagnostic phases. Cycle 1, …

Parameterizing Ion–Lipid Interactions From Local Clusters To Reproduce Experimental Bulk Properties Of Lipid Bilayers, W. Matthew Saunders

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Phospholipids are the main component of cell membranes, providing a delimiting boundary for cells from their environments or from their organelles from the cytosol. Thiscompartmentalization allows cells to maintain quite different solutions within their cells and organelles, including different mixtures dissolved ions. Consequently, these membranes are constantly flanked by complex mixtures of salts at varied concentrations. To study membrane structure, one cannot neglect the contribution of the salts in the local solution. Ions perturb bilayer structure via specific interaction with the phospholipids, primarily with the headgroups. Experimental studies of these systems are somewhat at odds — scattering experiments with different …

Exploring Teachers’ Perspectives On Digital Storytelling As A Tool In Saudi Kindergarten Classrooms: A Qualitative Multicase Study, Ouhuud Alahmdi

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 emphasizes the importance of integrating digital technologies into early childhood education, with the goal of developing children’s skills for the 21st century from an early age and preparing them for the future. Digital storytelling is an effective and interactive multimodal strategy to enhance young children’s skills in the classroom. However, there is limited research examining how kindergarten teachers design and utilize digital storytelling in their classrooms. This qualitative multicase study aimed to explore how Saudi kindergarten teachers perceived and implemented digital storytelling as a tool to promote engagement and comprehension among young children. The study focused …